Family Scholar House News

LOUISVILLE — The single, formerly homeless mothers living in Family Scholar House apartments are used to seeing faces drawn down with pity or judgment when they tell their stories. Pregnant at 15. Bruised and beaten by a boyfriend. Kicked out of school. Living in a car or a windowless basement with an infant.

But when these women speak about their lives, their eyes rarely fall to the floor, and their faces do not mirror that unspoken expectation of shame. It may be the 3.0 GPA they’re earning at a Kentucky university, or the nursing degree just one semester away, or the fact that their first-graders sleep well and are learning to read.

Imagine you are a young mother, trying to care for your child and working to sustain both of your lives. School is usually put on the back-burner with no time nor support to go to school and take care of your family. The Family Scholar Househas created a solution for these young parents, giving them a stable home and support for their children while they go back to school. Once these parents are armed with degrees, there is no limit to their future success. With no federal or state funding and no endowment, the Family Scholar House manages to raise $1.6 million dollars each year to make their operation possible. As of February 2018, they are now managing five campuses across Louisville and the expansion possibilities are endless. At the helm of this organization is a dynamic woman, whose official title is Chief Possibility Officer (along with President and CEO), and it is her vision and commitment that has taken this organization from serving four families in 2005 to serving over 3,500 families now. When she’s not working, she loves shopping for shoes (preferably four-inch heels) and watching baseball. Meet Cathe Dykstra, our FACE of Louisville today.

If you’re ready to have the world at your feet this spring, one upcoming event will be sure to delight. “Wine Women & Shoes is a fashionable, festive evening filled with – you guessed it! – wine, women and shoes,” explains organizer Kendall Merrick with a laugh. “It’s officially the best girls’ night in the city.”

Cathe Dykstra, Family Scholar House’s president and “chief possibility officer,” said her organization decided to expand its mission to include young adults who’ve been in foster care because they often lack the support of family and are at greater risk of homelessness and poor educational outcomes.

On September 21, guests gathered at the Louisville Marriott Downtown for this inspirational evening. Those in attendance heard the stories of a number of Family Scholar House graduates as well as keynote speaker Wanda Durant, mother of NBA star Kevin Durant… Check It Out!

In 2011, Kate Brackett selected Family Scholar House (FSH) as part of her Master in Social Work internship from Murray State University. A Louisville native, she thought it would be fun to spend the semester close to home while she worked to complete her degree. Kate didn’t expect to fall in love with Family Scholar House, but that’s exactly what happened. Today, Kate serves as the director of strategic initiatives, where she takes leadership for community engagement efforts as well as the bustling volunteer network that supports Family Scholar House.

The mission of FSH is to “change lives, families, and communities through education,” and it does so by providing a home to single mothers (and their children) as they work their way through college. One hundred percent of the women who are accepted into FSH are homeless; 95 percent of them have experienced domestic violence.